Many people are left immobile for a time after surgery and/or medical treatment. While they may be able to sit up in bed or function in a wheelchair, walking across the room to use the bathroom or to reach other items in their room can be a strenuous and/or painful activity. This applies to other immobile persons located anywhere along the continuum of care, including, but not limited to, acute/sub-acute rehabilitation institutions, nursing homes, or in their own homes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,485 to Hayes discloses a mattress provided with a cavity having a controlled expandable cushion. A bedpan can be placed inside the cavity prior to use, and when used, the cushion expands to be in line with the rest of the mattress. The mattress can also be arranged with a bidet system for added hygiene of the person, which cleans the area of the lower body that is exposed in the cavity. This bedpan arrangement is most useful for those persons who have no mobility and cannot sit up. While a bedpan directly in the bed is convenient, it is not the most hygienic arrangement. The non-ambulatory person may not want to be lying on a bedpan all day, and may only want to have a bedpan close by when it is needed. However, that same person may be capable of some movement, or in a wheelchair, but will want to reduce the number of times that they need to walk from the bed or get up from the wheelchair without assistance in order to prevent aggravation of their injury/condition. The caregiver is required to assist people of limited mobility to the facilities for necessary biological functions. Some health care worker's schedule is dictated by the needs of the people under their care. It can be costly to have someone on duty 24 hours a day to assist as peoples needs arise.
Furthermore, a non-ambulatory person may not have access to many other items in his or her room because of lessened mobility. Therefore, there is a need for providing autonomy and self-help to persons with limited ambulation, allowing them to access here-to-fore stationary items while minimizing the risk of injury or strain. There is also a need to increase the productivity of healthcare providers/caregivers by substituting labor with controllable mechanical interventions.